Prince Harry’s beloved Chelsea Pensioners have sent a card congratulating him on his engagement to Meghan Markle as the couple start their royal duties together today.
Among the well-wishers is retired soldier Patrick McGurk, who drove Harry and his brother William around with his mother Diana in the 1980s.
The world famous Chelsea Pensioners are a group close to the young royal’s heart having visited them regularly for around the past decade and in return they said today: ‘Good on you Harry!’.
The card wishes the couple ‘the very best of British’ for their future marriage with one well-wisher referring to them affectionately as ‘Harry and Meg’.
The Chelsea Pensioners are a group close to Prince Harry’s heart having visited them regularly (pictured in 2011)
Harry and Meghan laugh in their first TV interview this week after announcing their engagement
The pensioners also posted this well-wish photograph on their Facebook page after the couple announced their engagement
Among the well-wishers is retired soldier Patrick McGurk, who drove Harry and his brother William around with his mother Diana in the 1980s
Chelsea Pensioner Mable writes poignantly: ‘Many many congratulations to your Royal Highness and Meghan on your engagement. You both have a special place in my heart. God bless you both’.
And David Griffin wrote a message using some lyrics from the famous Vera Lynn song: ‘A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square’ and told the couple: ‘I may be right, I may be wrong, but I’m perfectly willing to swear, when you walk down the aisle next year, those nightingales will once again sing ion Berkeley Square’.
The card, signed by around 30 pensioners, will be delivered to Kensington Palace today.
Harry and Meghan are to take part in their first official engagement together on a trip to Nottingham aims to raise awareness of HIV/Aids and efforts to tackle youth crime.
Excitement in the city has reached fever pitch as it prepares to welcome Prince Harry and his bride-to-be Meghan Markle on their first public appearance since getting engaged.
Huge crowds are expected to line the streets of the city centre to catch a glimpse of them as they walk through this morning.
Kensington Palace has said the couple, who announced their engagement on Monday, will start the tour with a civic welcome at the National Justice Museum.
This will be followed by a walkabout where they have the opportunity to greet members of the public as a couple for the first time.
The pair will then visit the Nottingham Contemporary gallery, which is hosting a Terrence Higgins Trust World Aids Day charity fair.
They are also set to attend the Nottingham Academy to meet headteachers taking part in the Full Effect programme.
The pensioners have sent this card (cover pictured) to the couple that has been delivered to Kensington Palace
The project provides early intervention and training to children and young people in the St Ann’s area of Nottingham who may become involved in youth violence and crime.
The prince has forged links with the city through the work of the programme and has visited several times to see its work in action.
Nottingham is believed to be close to Harry’s heart, with his communications secretary Jason Knauf saying the prince is ‘looking forward to introducing Ms Markle to a community that has become very special to him’.
Harry and Meghan have spurned the splendours of Westminster Abbey and St Paul’s Cathedral for their wedding.
Instead they will marry in the more low-key St George’s Chapel in the grounds of Windsor Castle.
Officials say the wedding will almost certainly be televised – although the full details have yet to be agreed.
The couple plan to include the public as much as possible for what they want to be a ‘joyous and fun’ day. The Queen and Prince Charles will pick up the bill for the event, expected in early May.
Royal Engagement: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle finally announced their engagement after weeks of fevered speculation on Monday. The royal couple made their first public appearance hours after breaking the news in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace
Meghan rests her chin on her fist while looking adoringly at her husband-to-be, who cannot help but smile back while being filmed for their first TV interview last night
While Harry and Meghan have chosen not to follow in the footsteps of family members in using central London landmarks, their venue boasts a rich royal history. The 15th century Gothic chapel is one of the Queen’s favourite places of worship.
For Harry and Meghan the most important factor however was that they loved the building and its surrounds. They have made secret visits to Windsor, which is where the Queen now spends most of her working week.
St George’s holds around 800 guests, compared with the 2,000 capacity of Westminster Abbey where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge wed in 2011.
It will prove easier to control the crowds of well-wishers at Windsor.
Harry and Meghan want the event to reflect their gregarious personalities, and may even include a carriage ride round the grounds. The couple are in charge of all the details and aides cannot confirm whether the reception will be in the castle itself or in the small royal residence of Frogmore in the grounds.
HARRY AND MEGHAN SET FOR A WHIRLWIND WORLD TOUR AFTER 2018 ROYAL WEDDING
The couple will embark on a world tour straight after their wedding in May
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will travel the world after tying the knot next May.
The Royal couple will visit Sydney in October where the Prince will host his fourth Invictus Games.
They will also visit key Commonwealth country Canada, where Meghan lived for six years.
The newly-engaged couple are also expected to visit the US and could lend their support to the Walk of America for injured veterans in June.
Meghan, 36, will be getting to know her new home in the UK and will carry out her first royal duties in Nottingham.
Harry, 33, is also set to introduce her to Sentebale – his AIDS orphans charity set up in memory of Princess Diana and based in Lesotho, Africa.
The future duchess will also be introduced to HIV charity the Terrence Higgins Trust and the Full Effect youth programme.
A spokesman told The Mirror: ‘Prince Harry has spent a significant amount of private and public time in the city and is looking forward to introducing Ms Markle to a community that is very sentimental to him.’